Chemical Engineeringat University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Graduates earn $67,624/yr in their first year — about 6.0% below the national Chemical Engineering average. Base-case 10-year earnings $896K; scenarios range from $769K to $940K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at University of Washington
First-year earnings of $67,624 track close to the $72,288 national median for Chemical Engineering programs. This is a middle-of-the-road outcome on salary alone.
With a 17.7x return on in-state tuition over ten years, the financial case for this program is compelling by virtually any measure.
The 18% difference between AI scenarios reflects partial automation exposure. Some Chemical Engineering career paths face displacement, but others in the field are more insulated.
At $17,054 in median debt against $67,624 in first-year earnings, graduates can expect to clear their loan balance in under six months of full earnings.
A #74 ranking among 158 Chemical Engineering programs places University of Washington-Seattle Campus in the middle-to-upper range. Solid, not exceptional.
A 42% earnings increase from $67,624 to $96,353 over five years is solid — not a moonshot, but evidence of normal career advancement.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to University of Washington's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Chemical Engineering
How University of Washington stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at University of Washington
Other highest-scoring programs offered at University of Washington, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Chemical Engineering at University of Washington
What does a 71/100 DegreeOutlook Score mean for Chemical Engineering at University of Washington-Seattle Campus?
At 71/100, this is a high-performing program. The DegreeOutlook Score combines earnings, AI resilience, and ROI — and this program delivers on all three.
Should I worry about AI if I study Chemical Engineering at University of Washington-Seattle Campus?
The 48% AI task exposure score is above average. Our model shows this affecting job availability more than salaries — graduates may face stiffer competition for fewer positions.